St. Jean bails, leaving dirty work to Higgins

Jorge L. Ortiz, OF THE EXAMINER STAFF

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, February 8, 2000

ORLANDO - It's one thing for the Warriors to stand in the way of Rod Higgins getting a promotion. But to make him take over Monday night's debacle in the middle of the game, well, the phrase cruel and unusual punishment comes to mind.

Here are the circumstances under which Higgins slid over 18 inches from his usual spot as an assistant to the play-calling spot following coach Garry St. Jean's ejection:

Golden State was already down 22 points at the time, and starting power forward Donyell Marshall had left the game a few minutes earlier with a bruised left eye, or maybe he just couldn't bear to watch anymore.

John Starks, the team's second-leading scorer and resident volcano, had already expressed his frustration in the first quarter by putting a dent on a courtside advertising panel with a swift kick. He got a technical for his effort.

That's where St. Jean showed his more extensive experience. With his lethargic Warriors down 60-38 two minutes and 18 seconds before halftime, St. Jean drew two blinding-quick technicals and the heave-ho from referee Hank Armstrong.

By that time Amaechi, an aspiring child psychologist who hails from England, had already scored 21 of his 23 first-half points. No wonder St. Jean handed the reins to Higgins and nearly set a land-speed record for walking off the court. He must have feared British Prime Minister Tony Blair would want to play next.

So Higgins, the erstwhile object of the Wizards' affection, said a couple of things at halftime, attempted a few strategic changes and watched as the spanking unfolded.

"My voice is a little scratchy right now," he said afterward. "I probably yelled a little bit more than I wanted to, but only in the sense of trying to get our guys to certain spots on the floor."

This wasn't exactly the way Higgins dreamed of making his coaching debut, so the game was not destined for a cherished spot in his memory bank.

Still, there were a few memorable vignettes, and they had little to do with Amaechi scoring a career-high 25 points or combining with fellow immortal Michael Doleac for 48.

St. Jean's ejection, though predictable as the presence of a Hooters on every other corner of this town, stood out because it was the

first time in recent memory a Warriors coach had been tossed.

P.J. Carlesimo never got tossed in his two-plus seasons at the helm, and as best as anyone could remember - precise information was not available - his predecessor Rick Adelman didn't either in his two years.

The night's most curious moment occurred right after Higgins had called a timeout with 3:02 left in the third quarter, trying to stem a Magic flurry that opened their lead to 88-57. At that time Starks walked off in the direction of the locker room with a determined look that said he was calling it quits.

Turns out he was answering a call, one placed by nature, and returned from the bathroom as the period expired. Not that it mattered. The Warriors (12-34) fell behind by 18 in the first quarter and 31 in the third in dropping their second straight after a four-game winning streak.

And much of the damage was done by a second-year center who plied his trade in Europe for four seasons, was signed to a $300,000 free agent contract, calls his game "ugly" and had never scored more than 19 points in a game, let alone a half.

Starks admitted he didn't know much about Amaechi. Told he calls England home, Starks said, "Yeah, the British are coming, eh?"

NOTES: St. Jean did not get into specifics, but indications were the Warriors would let swingman Mark Davis go rather than sign him

for the rest of the season after his second 10-day contract expired Monday. . . . After Wednesday's game in Miami, the Warriors have four days off before returning to practice Monday afternoon. &lt;